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Tudor Saga #2-4
Katharine of Aragon
s/t: The Story of a Spanish Princess and an English Queen
For the first time in paperback—all three of Jean Plaidy’s Katharine of Aragon novels in one volume.
Legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy begins her tales of Henry VIII’s queens with the story of his first wife, the Spanish princess Katharine of Aragon.
As a teenager, Katharine leaves her beloved Spain, land of olive groves and soaring cathedrals, for the drab, rainy island of England. There she is married to the king’s eldest son, Arthur, a sickly boy who dies six months after the wedding. Katharine is left a widow who was never truly a wife, lonely in a strange land, with a very bleak future. Her only hope of escape is to marry the king’s second son, Prince Henry, now heir to the throne. Tall, athletic, handsome, a lover of poetry and music, Henry is all that Katharine could want in a husband. But their first son dies and, after many more pregnancies, only one child survives, a daughter. Disappointed by his lack of an heir, Henry’s eye wanders, and he becomes enamored of another woman—a country nobleman’s daughter named Anne Boleyn. When Henry begins searching for ways to put aside his loyal first wife, Katharine must fight to remain Queen of England and to keep the husband she once loved so dearly.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
For the first time in paperback—all three of Jean Plaidy’s Katharine of Aragon novels in one volume.
Legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy begins her tales of Henry VIII’s queens with the story of his first wife, the Spanish princess Katharine of Aragon.
As a teenager, Katharine leaves her beloved Spain, land of olive groves and soaring cathedrals, for the drab, rainy island of England. There she is married to the king’s eldest son, Arthur, a sickly boy who dies six months after the wedding. Katharine is left a widow who was never truly a wife, lonely in a strange land, with a very bleak future. Her only hope of escape is to marry the king’s second son, Prince Henry, now heir to the throne. Tall, athletic, handsome, a lover of poetry and music, Henry is all that Katharine could want in a husband. But their first son dies and, after many more pregnancies, only one child survives, a daughter. Disappointed by his lack of an heir, Henry’s eye wanders, and he becomes enamored of another woman—a country nobleman’s daughter named Anne Boleyn. When Henry begins searching for ways to put aside his loyal first wife, Katharine must fight to remain Queen of England and to keep the husband she once loved so dearly.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
674 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1962
214 people are currently reading
3111 people want to read
About the author
Jean Plaidy
190 books1,592 followersEleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
November 24, 2009
This title actually encompasses a trilogy originally published as 3 separate works: “Katharine the Virgin Widow,” “The Shadow of the Pomegranate,” and “The King’s Secret Matter.” Katharine was the first (and longest) wife of Henry VIII, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella (rulers of Spain).
Without dwelling on the fascinating story of Queen Katharine who was undoubtedly the purest and most deserving of Henry’s wives, I’d rather speak of the author, Jean Plaidy. With the discovery of this author I’ve uncovered a treasure trove of reading – she had 183 published works under 5 names at the time of her death. Many of them on the middle ages of Royalty in Europe, an astounding number dealing with the Tudors. She writes with an authority that can be felt, a feeling of historical accuracy and intimacy with the characters. Her detailed descriptions of characters, place and historical events, as well as the sense of individual perspectives, is entertaining and though the book was long it was not in the least bit dry; rather it was totally engrossing.
Without dwelling on the fascinating story of Queen Katharine who was undoubtedly the purest and most deserving of Henry’s wives, I’d rather speak of the author, Jean Plaidy. With the discovery of this author I’ve uncovered a treasure trove of reading – she had 183 published works under 5 names at the time of her death. Many of them on the middle ages of Royalty in Europe, an astounding number dealing with the Tudors. She writes with an authority that can be felt, a feeling of historical accuracy and intimacy with the characters. Her detailed descriptions of characters, place and historical events, as well as the sense of individual perspectives, is entertaining and though the book was long it was not in the least bit dry; rather it was totally engrossing.
October 3, 2015
2.5 stars
I've heard a lot of good stuff about Jean Plaidy's books, and to be honest I was disappointed. I think historical fiction is a very hard genre to write about; you've got to keep the story interesting, but also stay true to the facts. I think Plaidy did a lot more of the latter than the former.
I'm not one of those people who are obsessed with everything in a historical novel being totally accurate; I like it to be more or less true, with more emphasis on the story than the history. That's why I wasn't very keen on this trilogy. The characters were bland and insipid, the speech was awkward and stilted, and there were way too many info-dumps. I won't be reading any of this author's work in the future.
I've heard a lot of good stuff about Jean Plaidy's books, and to be honest I was disappointed. I think historical fiction is a very hard genre to write about; you've got to keep the story interesting, but also stay true to the facts. I think Plaidy did a lot more of the latter than the former.
I'm not one of those people who are obsessed with everything in a historical novel being totally accurate; I like it to be more or less true, with more emphasis on the story than the history. That's why I wasn't very keen on this trilogy. The characters were bland and insipid, the speech was awkward and stilted, and there were way too many info-dumps. I won't be reading any of this author's work in the future.
December 13, 2016
I used to wonder about Katherine of Aragon. Why couldn't she be sensible like Anne of Cleves? Why not just give the king an annulment like he wanted and live in comfort as his not-wife? Part of it was, I think, due to her pride as a Spanish princess. She felt she would be betraying the legacy of her mother, Queen Isabella, and part due to her fears for the future of her daughter Mary. If she allowed an annulment, where did that leave her daughter? In limbo, neither legitimate nor a bastard but something else.
There also is element of pride being the only thing Katherine had that couldn't be taken away from her. Left stranded in England after the death of Arthur, Prince of Wales, and the death of her mother, Queen Isabella of Castile, two years later, she was left in a life of penury and uncertainty. Her father wasn't interested in taking her back to Spain. She had only her pride to protect her until Henry VIII married her and raised her to the highest position in the land. She never shirked her duty and did her best to give him a son, undergoing several miscarriages and deaths of boy babies. She was pregnant six times and gave birth to one healthy child, a girl, the future Queen Mary I of England.
She had always done her duty, attempted to fulfill her responsibilities as a queen for nearly 20 years and didn't take to the idea of being tossed aside for a new wife. She fought back as best she could, and scored points against Henry when she looked him in the eye and dared him to say she didn't come to him a virgin. She knew her cause was hopeless, but she fought to the end anyway.
I used to get impatient with Queen Katherine, but after reading this book I am filled with nothing but respect. She behaved with honor and dignity under impossible conditions, all for the sake of her own self-respect and the benefit of the only person left who loved her—her daughter.
There also is element of pride being the only thing Katherine had that couldn't be taken away from her. Left stranded in England after the death of Arthur, Prince of Wales, and the death of her mother, Queen Isabella of Castile, two years later, she was left in a life of penury and uncertainty. Her father wasn't interested in taking her back to Spain. She had only her pride to protect her until Henry VIII married her and raised her to the highest position in the land. She never shirked her duty and did her best to give him a son, undergoing several miscarriages and deaths of boy babies. She was pregnant six times and gave birth to one healthy child, a girl, the future Queen Mary I of England.
She had always done her duty, attempted to fulfill her responsibilities as a queen for nearly 20 years and didn't take to the idea of being tossed aside for a new wife. She fought back as best she could, and scored points against Henry when she looked him in the eye and dared him to say she didn't come to him a virgin. She knew her cause was hopeless, but she fought to the end anyway.
I used to get impatient with Queen Katherine, but after reading this book I am filled with nothing but respect. She behaved with honor and dignity under impossible conditions, all for the sake of her own self-respect and the benefit of the only person left who loved her—her daughter.
May 20, 2018
It was a long investment in time and it would have ranked much higher if it had only been a bit shorter. But it wasn't until after the reading that I learned it is actually 3 books in one. But that is what happens when you read on the Kindle. As I was reading the scale in which I planned to score this went anywhere from a 2 -5. So if you like a lot of history in your Historical Fiction then you will enjoy.
March 30, 2009
Katherine of Aragon is actually a trilogy of books that were originally published separately, but have now been combined into one volume, with each book representing a separate part. As I read it, I thanked God that it had been combined like it was.
At times I really loved this book, at times I really hated it. The first part was incredibly slow for me. The period between Katherine arriving in England and marrying Arthur, the period between Arthurs death and Katherine marrying Henry - both dragged on for ages. When it finally wrapped up and I realized that the slow begining of this book had been an entire stand-alone novel at one point I wondered how anyone had ever read it as that!
The second part was my favorite - maybe because it was about the portion of Katherine's life when she was actually happy. I thought Plaidy's knowledge of the time period and Katherine's relationship with Henry was outstanding.
The third book started off very well, but ended up even slower than the first book. Katherine and Henry's estrangement (the time between when he attempted to divorce her and the time that he actually married Anne Boleyn) in real life lasted about 8 years. Reading about it felt like three times that.
Jean Plaidy seemed to be very sympathetic towards Katherine, so much so that I'd be interested to see how she portrays Anne Boleyn. Overall, I think it was a good, solid portrayal of Katherine's life. I would have rated it 3.5 stars were half stars allowed :)
At times I really loved this book, at times I really hated it. The first part was incredibly slow for me. The period between Katherine arriving in England and marrying Arthur, the period between Arthurs death and Katherine marrying Henry - both dragged on for ages. When it finally wrapped up and I realized that the slow begining of this book had been an entire stand-alone novel at one point I wondered how anyone had ever read it as that!
The second part was my favorite - maybe because it was about the portion of Katherine's life when she was actually happy. I thought Plaidy's knowledge of the time period and Katherine's relationship with Henry was outstanding.
The third book started off very well, but ended up even slower than the first book. Katherine and Henry's estrangement (the time between when he attempted to divorce her and the time that he actually married Anne Boleyn) in real life lasted about 8 years. Reading about it felt like three times that.
Jean Plaidy seemed to be very sympathetic towards Katherine, so much so that I'd be interested to see how she portrays Anne Boleyn. Overall, I think it was a good, solid portrayal of Katherine's life. I would have rated it 3.5 stars were half stars allowed :)
August 1, 2011
What I really enjoy about Plaidy's work is her respect for the known or documented history of the time that she writes about she faithfully depicts the era in this novel. I enjoyed reading about events that have been documented in nonfiction sources.
I found Katherine to be an interesting and sympathetic subject. I felt sorry for what she was made to suffer but I also was able to see her as an admirable woman who would not easily be victimized. She stood up for herself, as much as she could, against the tyranny of Henry and the maliciousness of Anne Boelyne.
This book is a compilation of several of Plaidy's earlier novels, so, if you have read any of them, as I had already read Katherine of Aragon parts of this novel will just be a review for you.
Again I will say Plaidy is well worth the read and is far superior, in content, to some what is currently being offered in this genre.
I found Katherine to be an interesting and sympathetic subject. I felt sorry for what she was made to suffer but I also was able to see her as an admirable woman who would not easily be victimized. She stood up for herself, as much as she could, against the tyranny of Henry and the maliciousness of Anne Boelyne.
This book is a compilation of several of Plaidy's earlier novels, so, if you have read any of them, as I had already read Katherine of Aragon parts of this novel will just be a review for you.
Again I will say Plaidy is well worth the read and is far superior, in content, to some what is currently being offered in this genre.
November 12, 2016
God knows I hate to give Plaidy a bad review. She's my role model. At the same time, I have to point out what I big disappointment this book was for me. The main reason is that it focuses very little on Catherine herself. Far too much of it is about her sister, Joan. Joan is a fascinating woman, and C. W. Gornter covered her in a masterful book. But if you title a book about Catherine, give the poor woman her due. Henry VIII passed over her and Plaidy committed the same sin by relegating her to supporting character in her own novel.
January 30, 2018
I'm not sure if it was the translation issue or something else, but this is seriously boring. I did gave it a try, quite a few times and it was really annoying, so I honestly give up on reading it further.
January 18, 2023
This book was absolutely outstanding. I rarely read fictionalized accounts of real people that are this historically accurate. What this author excels at is taking the actual events and writing them into a book having to fictionalize anything to make it interesting. She follows history to perfection, gets every fact straight, but you still feel like you're reading a great fiction story. That's a gift.
September 18, 2018
By far my favorite book on Katharine of Aragon. This is actually three books combined into one and was a page turner. I have read many books on Queen Katharine but I feel I came to know her the best through Jean Plaidy's wonderful novel.
April 21, 2010
Katharine of Aragon, by Jean Plaidy
"Katharine of Aragon," by Jean Plaidy, is actually an omnibus of the author's three previous novels about Henry VIII's first queen. The books are: "Katharine, the Virgin Widow," "The Shadow of the Pomegranate," and "The King's Secret Matter." So this volume is a great deal, as you're really getting three books for the price of one.
Plaidy is an excellent historical fiction writer. I'd seen her recommended several times, and was eager to read something of hers. Katharine happens to be a favorite figure of mine, but Plaidy has written novels on just about anyone you could want to read about in English history.
"Katharine, the Virgin Widow" focuses on the young princess and her first marriage to Henry's brother, Arthur. The book starts with Katharine's journey from Spain to England; I would have liked to see Plaidy write some scenes from the princess's life before England - references are made to her "previous" life quite a bit, and it would have been nice to read some of them, rather than just get a line or two of memories. But otherwise, a great book, that introduces readers the different players in the English monarchy and politics.
"The Shadow of the Pomegranate" continues Katharine's story after her marriage to Henry VIII, and focuses on her difficulty to conceive an heir.
"The King's Secret Matter" finishes Katharine's sad tale, recounting Henry's efforts to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. Plaidy captures Katharine's dignity and fight to remain a queen through all of Henry's machinations to set her aside.
Plaidy pens an engrossing story of Katharine of Argaon, one that fans of historical Tudor fiction will surely enjoy. I'll definitely be picking up more of her novels, because I think they are great introductions for periods or people I'm unfamiliar with.
4/5.
"Katharine of Aragon," by Jean Plaidy, is actually an omnibus of the author's three previous novels about Henry VIII's first queen. The books are: "Katharine, the Virgin Widow," "The Shadow of the Pomegranate," and "The King's Secret Matter." So this volume is a great deal, as you're really getting three books for the price of one.
Plaidy is an excellent historical fiction writer. I'd seen her recommended several times, and was eager to read something of hers. Katharine happens to be a favorite figure of mine, but Plaidy has written novels on just about anyone you could want to read about in English history.
"Katharine, the Virgin Widow" focuses on the young princess and her first marriage to Henry's brother, Arthur. The book starts with Katharine's journey from Spain to England; I would have liked to see Plaidy write some scenes from the princess's life before England - references are made to her "previous" life quite a bit, and it would have been nice to read some of them, rather than just get a line or two of memories. But otherwise, a great book, that introduces readers the different players in the English monarchy and politics.
"The Shadow of the Pomegranate" continues Katharine's story after her marriage to Henry VIII, and focuses on her difficulty to conceive an heir.
"The King's Secret Matter" finishes Katharine's sad tale, recounting Henry's efforts to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. Plaidy captures Katharine's dignity and fight to remain a queen through all of Henry's machinations to set her aside.
Plaidy pens an engrossing story of Katharine of Argaon, one that fans of historical Tudor fiction will surely enjoy. I'll definitely be picking up more of her novels, because I think they are great introductions for periods or people I'm unfamiliar with.
4/5.
March 15, 2010
I have to admit I didn't finish this one. The first section, which would have been book 2 of the series had I gotten them separately, basically just retold the last half of book 1 from a different point of view, and had I known this I would've skipped it altogether. So far my impression of this author is that she tells a good story, but takes a lot longer than necessary to tell it. I just couldn't get through this one.
April 30, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. It is actually 3 novels in one. They are all about Katherine of Aragon and are about her life from a young girl to her death. It paints Katherine of Aragon as a very strong if not stubborn woman. Filled with historical facts as well as speculations as to how these people really were when alive makes this book well worth reading.
February 2, 2015
Since I'm a big fan of historical novels and especially when writer/author brings in genuine true historical figures like King Henry VIII & his first wife Katharine of Aragon this is a winner. Jean Plaidy brought Katharine to life for me and also evoked much sympathy for her position and her difficult struggles with her husband King.
June 2, 2011
I love all of Jean Plaidy's books I have read up to this point. I feel she brings historical characters to life and makes you feel as though these could be anyone or that any person could go through the same pitfalls and triumphs as the historical figures featured in each book. Worth reading.
March 13, 2008
this is dragging on...
October 22, 2009
Loved this fictional account based on her true story. Wow! She's quite the queen.
August 8, 2019
I am rereading all Jean Plaidy's books and she does not disappoint me at the age of 62 any more than when I was 14! (that is to say she continues to enthrall me as much as she did in my youth with her stories of British history. The story of Catherine of Aragon is a rag to riches to rags story that tears at the heartstrings. Catherine was the beloved youngest daughter of Queen Isabella of Spain (yes, the Queen that financed Columbus). Catherine was sent off to England at an early age to marry the heir to the throne, Prince Arthur. Arthur dies shortly after the marriage and Catherine's father in law (Henry VII) won't send her back to Spain because her dowry hasn't been paid in full. He keeps Catherine short on cash and living meanly. After the old man dies, the 2nd son (Henry VIII) sees Catherine as his shining princess and marries her! For 24 years she lives as Henry's wife and then his eyes land on another woman... and there I will leave it. Suffice it to say that even decades after learning about Catherine of Aragon, my heart still goes out to her.
Anyone with an interest in British history should look into this author. Her books are perfect for the younger reader who is new to British history and yet interesting and well written so as to appeal to the older more mature reader.
Jean Plaidy is a timeless writer of history.
Anyone with an interest in British history should look into this author. Her books are perfect for the younger reader who is new to British history and yet interesting and well written so as to appeal to the older more mature reader.
Jean Plaidy is a timeless writer of history.
November 17, 2017
Though written more than fifty years ago this trilogy of novels about Katharine of Aragon is still a highly enjoyable read. I found Jean Plaidy’s telling of the related stories of Katharine’s father, sister and nephew added an interesting European political dimension to this tragic tale, popularised in recent television historical dramas such as “The Tudors” and ”Wolf Hall”. I am very tempted to go on and read the prequels and sequels to this story in Jean Plaidy’s prolific output, but as I have so many other novels queuing up in my reading list I really must resist the temptation!
June 23, 2021
I recommend this trilogy book, instead of picking them up separately, as it's a more cohesive way of getting the narrative from Katharine's perspective and ignores many of the other issues going on at the time (which come out stronger in non fiction books or books told from Henry's side of things. The first part (book) moved a little slowly, but it was worth pushing through as the next two were much more engaging.
April 15, 2019
Queen Katherine
That poor poor woman. I feel bad for any woman or man for that matter, that ever got tangled up with that spoiled brat of king, Henry. He was horrible to anyone that didn't agree with him. But he was mostly unfair to the one who stilled wanted to be married to the monster. Such a sad story for kind Queen.
That poor poor woman. I feel bad for any woman or man for that matter, that ever got tangled up with that spoiled brat of king, Henry. He was horrible to anyone that didn't agree with him. But he was mostly unfair to the one who stilled wanted to be married to the monster. Such a sad story for kind Queen.
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June 3, 2021Well didn’t really read. Started it and enjoyed ... but admit print was small and pages wouldn’t stay open so never did long amounts, but got to page sixty and happens to see paragraph on back of nook cover which pretty much summed up entire story in ten sentences. Figured why continue on, especially when much of it I had predicted already.
August 24, 2022
It took me a bit to get into this book. Being very familiar with Henry 8th regin I actully skipped some pages. What I did like is that there was story lines about people I haven't really read about such as Kathrine's sister Juana and the Duke of Buckingham. These story lines all tied in to how it had a effect on Katherine.
May 3, 2024
Henry XII was a terrible husband!
I really enjoyed reading this book by Jean Plaidy. She paints such a sad and desperate story of Katherine and Henry. She really made history come alive for me! I've often wondered about all of Henry's wives and plan to read the entire series of all of Henry's 8 wives.
I really enjoyed reading this book by Jean Plaidy. She paints such a sad and desperate story of Katherine and Henry. She really made history come alive for me! I've often wondered about all of Henry's wives and plan to read the entire series of all of Henry's 8 wives.
July 9, 2017
Quite a long book to get through! But it did provide a detailed look into Katharine of Aragon's rise and fall as Henry VIII's first Queen. I felt this did a good job portraying the main characters in this drama- Henry came across as a petulant, self-centered man while Katharine seemed to be stubbornly loyal and virtuous. A good overview of the King's first marriage while providing some insight into the Hapsburg, French and Spanish courts as well. I found it odd that Thomas More did not have a larger role in the story; he seemed to be even less than a minor character.
February 21, 2023
This is where my love of English lit and passion for English history started, long ago and far away. Rereading the series is proving beneficial for my anxiety and depression issues, even as I immerse myself in that fascinating period yet again. Love Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt and Philippa Carr.
June 2, 2018
I enjoyed this historical. Novel
I have read other biographies of Katherine and this is one of the best for bringing historical facts to life.
I have read other biographies of Katherine and this is one of the best for bringing historical facts to life.
October 8, 2018
Sufrí las 661 páginas junto con Catalina, anhelando que su destino repuntara. Sin querer, termine sabiendo mucho sobre las monarquías medievales.
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April 15, 2020excellent
December 31, 2024
Very interesting book. 100% recommend.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews